Vignettes of the World
It feels very familiar in Guangzhou. The people, the streets, the structures. I have certainly been to Guangzhou before, perhaps even before the rapid economic development that took off after 1992. The trips to Guangzhou during my childhood years have not left me with any …
It was a hot day but I was keen on seeing the Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet in Shenzhen. From the Futian boundary crossing, I made it onto Shenzhen’s MTR and got off the Gankeng Station on Line 10. Then I walked about 8-10 minutes on …
I have always wanted to visit the war sites of Sha Tau Kok, but despite my best effort I was not able to locate them. I finally found a guided tour organized by the Stonehouse Family Garden. This tour would take me to these sites with explanations and stories of their significance. Including our wonderful guide, there were a total of six of us for this walk in Sha Tau Kok.
From Fanling MTR Station we took Bus Route 78K to Sha Tau Kok and got off at the second-last stop, just before the restricted frontier area, at the Tam Shui Hang stop.
Photos: left – you will see this big sign when you get off the Tam Shui Hang stop. Keep going on that road, and you will arrive at Shan Tsui Road. Keep on going on Shan Tsui Road until you see this opening on your left (Photo right). Then head up the trail to the mountains.
The war sites are located along the path at the foothill. This path leads up to the Pak Kung Au direction, and if you keep on hiking you will be able to find the MacIntosh Cathedral of Pak Kung Au. I have passed by it previously but did not know that the war sites were right there. When you see this structure on the side of the path, this is indication that you are close to the war sites.
Go behind these structures and you will find more miltiary installations.
This is believed to be the well where the Japanese soldiers took their baths. The rounded rocks on the side are supposedly where they rubbed their backs. It seemed to me that they have installed a much-needed facility with comfort in mind.
More pillboxes are in this area, plus the trench that goes around the different structures. These trenches are not as deep because Japanese soldiers were not so tall.
An interesting point to note here regarding the construction of these sites. The guide told us that the villagers said that they had a decent relationship with the Japanese soldiers during this time. Not only was there no forced labor for constructing these sites, but also they were actually paid to build them.
After the war, these structures were left without serving their intended purposes. The villagers said that in the following years, the smugglers took over these structures as storage for their goods, as this boundary area is a hotspot for smuggling.
We then headed over to the Tam Shui Hang Village for a walk. The villagers used to allow this tour to visit their houses, but because they have rented them out this time, we were not able to enter.
These row houses are connected on the inside. Each family of a son would occupy one house within the row. They are connected because this would allow the whole family to defend against the bandits that ran rampant in the area during the old days.
Similarly, the small windows are intended to serve defensive purposes. Keeping the windows small will enable the dwellers to see the situation outside the house, but keeping vulnerability to attacks to the smallest.
Finally, there was one very colorful house that really stood out amidst the typical village dwellings. We were told that the owner of the house returned from abroad and restored this house to its colorful appearance now. The owner was supposedly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.
To participate in the tours organized by the Stonehouse Family Garden, please visit here.
Bus Route 78K, green top minibus Route 55K both go to Sha Tau Kok from the Sheung Shui MTR Station.
There was quite a bit of an overcast on this day, but the weather was cool and so we decided to go ahead with a walk on Tai To Yan. The itinerary of the day is to begin in Fanling and enter the mountains via …
The Lovers’ Rock is rumoured to bring good luck in the love department. In this week before the Lunar New Year, I was looking for an easy trail for a much-needed walk. Since Bowen Road is in the vicinity, I thought I could also bring …
At the peak of Tai Shek Mo, of 183 meters in altitude, there are all-around views of New Territories North including that of all of Sheung Shui and much of the southern skyline of Shenzhen. Needless to say, the fish pond views of Ma Tso Lung are also very pleasant. Tai Shek Mo offers an even higher vantage point of the fish ponds than the typical spot at Ma Tso Lung. In fact, there you will see the MacIntosh Cathedral of Ma Tso Lung as well.
Photo: View of the MacIntosh Cathedral (the green object on the middle left of the picture) of Ma Tso Lung.
The Tai Shek Mo in Sheung Shui is not such a popular trail but it offers quite a few surprises. Besides the fish ponds of Ma Tso Lung, there is also the Scottish Crest on the hillside, rumored to be taken down when this area will be developed. The Scottish crest will require another entry point (not discussed in this entry) for a visit. As a result, I am doing three visits to see all there is that it offers. The first one was a failure, so let’s go through with the cautionary tale first.
On the TrailWatch app it first gave me a route that goes there from the southern face of the mountain. The entry point is via the hillside grave areas on Ho Sheung Heung Road, close to the Lo Wu Saddle Club.
I live in Tsung Pak Long so my starting point was actually home. After going through Tsung Pak Long Village, I passed by some beautiful views of the Long Valley wetland.
I walked along Sheung Yue River. At the Long Valley Pavilion (with a sit-out area), I made my way through to Ho Sheung Heung Village. I then came upon the hillside graveyards on Ho Sheung Heung Road.
There is the sign on the southern entrance of Tai Shek Mo saying that the construction site on the way prohibits entry.
The trails that approach Tai Shek Mo via its southern face will lead to the ongoing construction for the North Kwu Tung Reservoir. You will not be able to go through this section to reach Tai Shek Mo from its southern trails on regular days. Although bloggers say on Sundays, when construction ceases for the public holiday, people can get through, my advice is to not take that path. I had to learn the lesson the hard way and turn back. These are the views on the way from entering via the hillside graves.
On a second try, again I headed out from home and made my way through to the pavilion at Sheung Yue River. I then made my way further to Mrs. Lo’s Tofu, and found the proper entry point to Tai Shek Mo.
For other visitors, the best way to go is from the Lo Wu Correctional Institution. Take green top minibus Route 51K from Sheung Shui MTR station and get off at the final stop. Facing the Lo Wu Correctional Institution, there is a wide vehicle motorway on the right. Head on over and keep going straight until you see this intersection.
Photos: On the left, you see the Lo Wu Correctional Institute. Take the wide motorway on your right and keep on going, until you see the intersection shown on the right photo.
Make a left Fai King Road(left photo below), and soon you will see Mrs. Lo’s Tofu (right photo below).
Keep on going, and watch out for this path on your left. The indication is the gray, tall metal planks that surrounds the property on the left. Head up this paved driveway. It will lead you to Tai Shek Mo.
This really is not much of a trail, as the way up the mountain is paved throughout. The walk was quite easy, but there are sections where the inclination is at 40 degrees. The steepness made it difficult to descend. The ascend, however, was fairly easy.
Once you make it to the end of the paved way, you will come across the abandoned barracks. Make your way up the stairs and you will find yourself at the peak of Tai Shek Mo, with the border lookout post and 360 view of the northern district and Shenzhen.
Besides all-around views of the North District and Shenzhen, there are also some former military installations in this lookout area.
Photo: View of Hong Kong at Tai Shek Mo
Furthermore, you will see a lookout structure next to the tower. Just a few steps down, you will find what seems likely to be war structures, which are likely to be bunkers.
The round structure was a lookout over the border with Shenzhen.
To make your way back, I suggest taking the original route, as it is paved.
Green top minibus Route 51K runs between the Sheung Shui MTR station and the Lo Wu Correctional Institute.
The Boston Restaurant in Wan Chai has been serving its signature dish, Beef Brochette Flambé, since 1966. Today I took a leisurely lunch there and had a delightful steak that came with amazing theatrics. The experience was really quite special. The Story of Boston Restaurant …
Islam Food in Kowloon City has a long-standing presence as one of the few Islam dining establishments in Hong Kong. I finally had a chance to visit it for some of its famous dishes. And I would certainly go back for more. Some Basics about …
Perhaps a couple years ago, the government had plans to pull down the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir. The netizens then leaked some photos of it and caused an uproar. The beautiful imitated Roman architecture fascinated the people of Hong Kong. What followed was an outrage and the call to preserve the service reservoir.
Since then, the government has been opening up the venue for public tours. However, due to its popularity, many people were not able to reserve a spot on the tour. I managed to sign up for it, out of pure luck.
The Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir is located on Bishop Hill in Shek Kip Mei. The tour gathered outside of the St Francis of Assisi Primary School on Berwick Street, and headed up about 300 steps to reach the reservoir.
Bishop Hill is a name that the community uses for this location. The official name of this hill is Mission Hill. It acquired its name due to the work of the missionaries that brought Christianity to this neighborhood in Hong Kong.
In the 1900s, there were many Hakka residents in the area. The Basel Mission’s missionaries Rev. Theodore Hamberg and Rev. Rudolf Lechler came and built a retreat here for missionaries. The Tsung Tsin Mission, which originated from the Basel Mission, bought the land here and ran a school in the 1950s.
Another official name for this location is Woh Chai Shan, referring to the cliffs that cave in like a “woh chai” (meaning cave, or valley).
After WWII, the area became a squatter settlement with many wooden huts of the refugees.
When the British took over Kowloon, there were already about ten thousand residents in the peninsula. The supply of water to the Kowloon Peninsula then mostly came from subterranean water sources. The Hong Kong government commissioned a British engineer to drill a well. There were interconnecting pipelines that also reached the underground sources of fresh water and collected it at the well. It had a capacity of supplying to twenty-three thousand residents.
By 1900, the population of Kowloon reached forty thousand. The British took over the New Territories in 1898. At that time, Bishop Hill was part of the New Territories. With access to the high mountains in the New Territories, the British could come up with better water plans. In between Beacon Hill and Needle hill, there was a spot that caved in. That was perfect for building a wall to well the water, and as such the Kowloon Reservoir became the first reservoir in the New Territories. In order to preserve extra water during rainy season, water tanks were needed. The original Yau Ma Tei Water Tank, built in the late 19th century, was not enough. The government then built the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir at Bishop Hill, and named it Kowloon Tong Service Reservoir.
In 1904, the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir completed. It served the water needs of residents in Kowloon Tong, Sham Shui Po and Tai Hang Tung. Eventually, the whole system would consist of the Kowloon Reservoir and Catchwaters, the Tai Po Road Filter Beds, the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir, the water pipes connecting all of these facilities, the Ex-Yaumati Service Reservoir, the Yamati Service Reservoir and the Hung Hom Service Reservoir (now demolished).
The Ex-Yaumati Service Reservoir, which came even earlier than the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir, also features arched columns. Because it is still in use, the staff can only take photographs when it undergoes inspection and service once a year. Indeed, there are signs of decay there as cracks are showing through the bricks.
When the Shek Kip Mei Fresh Water Service Reservoir began serving the water needs of Sham Shui Po’s residents, the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir took a bow and retired from its role as a key water supply facility in 1970. In 2021, only after the neighborhood residents exposed its beauty on the Internet, did the government halt the plan of demolishment. It then earned the status of a Grade 1 Historic Building.
Photo: This is the tunnel portal, there was also a pipeline connecting the opening. This tunnel was sealed in the 1960s. The whole tank area are antique monument.
The Service Reservoir comes in a round structure. A simple mathematical truth explains this design – the circumference of a round structure enables a larger volume than a rectangular structure with the same perimeter. Another practical concern is that a rectangular structure may trap dirt. In the 1951, there was a new addition of a wall. It was there to prevent cracks. That wall has reinforced cranes in concrete. Cement-bonded earth fills the void between the two walls. This is to ensure that there would be no more cracks for water to seep through.
At the time of completion in 1904, the diameter of the Service Reservoir was 150 feet. There was a 13-feet distance between the stone piers. Compared to its brick-made counterparts (the Ex Yaumati Service Reservoir and the Hung Hom Service Reservoir), the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir had the highest capacity of approximately 2.18 million gallons.
The top vault of the Service Reservoir is also built in concrete. The rounded arches, along with the brick walls, allowed the loading to be transmitted onto the side structures, then onto the foundation. This is how the structure was able to hold its weight. There is tar on the ground, further sealing the space and prevent cracks.
Originally there were 108 granite pillars with red brick arches. After the new wall, there remained 78 pillars. In 2008, the government wanted to take this space down. As a result, four more pillars were gone. There was a mould that formed the granite blocks, as you can see the tracks of the mould still.
Our tour guide emphasized a few times that, contrary to popular perception, the interior architecture of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir is not of Roman style. It merely imitates the Roman Style. I asked what distinguishes a “truly” Roman and a mere imitation. He said that, in a truly Roman style, there would be no flat surface. The arched tops are curved throughout.
Also, a Roman civil engineering works would be made of bricks throughout. This was not the case in the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir. The columns that support the arched brick tops were carved from granite. The Hakka people, many of whom were residents in the same neighborhood, would cut the granite. They chiseled the stones to a flat but rusticated surface. The granite pillars required hard work.
Water facilities that are located on the peak of hilly terrains are easier for digging works because of the forces of gravity. The origin of the water in the Service Reservoir was the Kowloon Reservoir. On Tai Po Road, the left side sits an all-hilly area to collect water, on the right is laid with a pipeline network. Therefore the water from all neighboring hills also collected in reservoir. After filtering the water at the Tai Po Road Filter Beds, the water was collected at the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir and other service reservoirs.
Photo: The British Luxfer Prism is a glass construction material company now. At the time, they made prisms and light wells. The glass became calcified and you cannot see through it now.
Photo: there are ventilators throughout the top structure of the Service Reservoir but they are all sealed by now.
Photo: the Stilling Well “restricted the verticial movement and the movement speed of a float of the ball float inlet valve”.
Besides the guided tours, the government is furthermore opening up the venue for self-guided tours soon. However, you would still have to sign up for the limited spots for the self-guided tour. Please visit this link to sign up.
It remains a very popular location, therefore be sure to grab your chance as soon as registration opens. I managed to sign up for my spots after successfully logging in five seconds after the registration opened.
The Guided Tour of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir.
Pamphlet of the Guided Tour of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir.
The Basel House Up on Bishop Hill (Chin), inmediahk.net.
The Tsung Tsin Mission Hong Kong Kau Yan Church of Sai Ying Pun is just a stone’s throw away from the Chinese Rhenish Church. I was very much drawn to its architecture. I think it is even more beautiful than the Chinese Rhenish Church. The …